Confessions Beneath the Burning Sun
by Smile Life Away
Summary: "Clearly, Roxanne Weasley was a sore loser." In an attempt to find out what's wrong with Roxanne, Teddy Lupin is sucked into a game of wills. Written for the Valentine's Day Happens Year-Round Challenge


**A/N: Written for the Valentine's Day Happens Year-Round Challenge, by **_**mew-tsubaki**_

**Thanks to wvvampire for betaing this for me :)**

**Disclaimer: I Own Nothing**

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_"Love is friendship set on fire." -French proverb_

"You look like hell."

"You look worse."

Roxanne shrugged and leaned back against the brick wall of the house. She opened her mouth attempting to drink the moisture from the air, unfortunately there was none.

"It's _so _hot."

"You _could _go inside."

"So could you."

Teddy didn't answer; he just copied her motion and then grabbed his wand and pointed it to his mouth,

"_Aguamenti," _he muttered, and then smiled at his accomplishment. "Open up, Roxy." For an answer she clamped her mouth closed and he sighed. "Why must it always be a battle of wills with you?"

"Unlike you, _Teddy, _I play fair."

He sighed and put down his wand. "So, sitting in the basking heat is a game to you."

"No." She sat up and turned to face him, wiping a bead of sweat away from her forehead. "I chose to come out here to be free of all of them, you followed. You want me to go back inside and you're going to stay out here until I give up, and then you'll gloat. I'm fully intending on outlasting you, but _I_ am going to play fair. That means no magic."

"So it is a game," he finished, ignoring her explanation, "very well. I'll win."

"Because you'll cheat."

"I won't drink anymore water."

"You already did, you cheated, I win by default. So now you can go back inside," she finished and leaned back against the wall.

"Only after you tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing."

"Then why did you come out here?"

"I already told you why," she rolled her eyes at him, "because I wanted to be free of all of them."

"Which means something's wrong."

"_Or_, I just want to be alone." She offered him a pointed stare.

"You _could _go inside."

"I won't be alone inside, _Lupin."_

"And now we revert back to last names, _Weasley_." He turned his head to her, "Come on, Roxy, tell me. You want to be alone…okay…why."

"Because I do. Because I don't feel like being around everyone, is that so difficult to understand?"

He nodded. "There's something else."

"There's _nothing _else!" Finally she stood up

"Going back inside?"

"No! I'm going away from you."

Teddy jumped up and started to follow her across the yard and caught up easily.

"I thought we were friends, Roxy."

She spun around to face him, her hands moving to her hips and then falling limply to her sides.

"We are…_friends_…" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and let them settle there.

"Then why won't you tell me."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" He groaned and raked his fingers through his jet black hair.

"Nothing." She bit her lower lip and stared at the ground, digging the toe of her tennis shoe into the dirt.

"At least you admitted something's wrong." He smirked and she looked back up at him instantly with burning brown eyes.

"Nothing's wrong!" she insisted. "You, _Ted Remus Lupin, _insist on being some kind of counselor, and since you're no good at it, you search for problems where there are none! Maybe what you should do instead is analyze yourself. I'm sure you'll find a whole _shitload_ of issues!" She chose this moment to stomp away.

"Are you going back inside?" he called after her. "I mean I understand if you want to, the sun really is baking, and you're going to sweat through your shirt, and you're wearing white!"

"I'm NOT going inside!" she yelled back, and he watched her as she found a tree to crash beneath.

Of all the Weasleys and the Potters, Roxanne was the one he understood the least. She was proud, stubborn and pretty damned confusing. But she was also the one who he was the friendliest with – out of the girls. She was the only one who he could have a genuine conversation with, except of course on days like today where she was being disagreeable and had stormed out of the house in a rage for no reason except, apparently, _she wanted to be alone_. Truthfully, Teddy should've left her to wallow in her misery alone but instead he'd followed her outside, ignoring Victoire's insistence that she was _fine _and just needed _time alone. _Now, he was suffering the repercussions of his decision, because the moment he walked back inside Roxanne would win and she'd never let him forget that _he hadn't been able to stand the heat_ whether or not it was true. And it wasn't.

"Roxy!" He tried again, this would be his final time, and if she refused to talk he'd walk inside and take whatever consequence bestowed upon him by Roxanne Weasley who never forgot anything, except her failures.

"Will you leave me alone?"

"If you tell me, it's not like I'm going to laugh or anything Roxy. Why do you want to be alone? What's wrong with going inside where there is cool air? Are you just waiting to sweat enough so I can see through your white shirt and we can shag in clear view of everything beneath this _utterly romantic _oak tree?"

"Don't be disgusting." She retorted

"Then tell me!"

"Merlin, Teddy, you beg a lot."

He waited, sure he'd broken her.

"I'm out here because I want to be alone. I want to be alone because I don't want to be around people. What's wrong with going inside is I will not be proven weaker than you."

Apparently not.

"Why do you want to be alone, just answer the question and I'll walk inside and declare defeat."

"You're hot." She smirked, "You want me to say it because _you _want to go inside. Because _you _can't handle the heat."

"Thank you, but no. I'm willing to declare defeat so you'll come inside."

"I didn't mean it like that." Again she rolled her eyes and Teddy wondered why she wouldn't just blush. Every other girl blushed when he made comments like that. But not Roxanne, _no, _nothing affected her.

"So are you going to tell me?"

"No,"

"Fine." He started towards the house with determined steps.

"You're not seriously going inside." She hopped up and followed him.

"Yes, I am."

"That means you lose."

"Okay."

"You're bluffing." He climbed the steps and reached the door.

"No, I'm not."

"All right, I'll tell you!"

Teddy paused and turned towards her, but only partially.

"Go on."

"I came outside because I couldn't stand it anymore."

"Stand what?"

"How disgusting you are," she explained. "The both of you."

"By which you mean?"

"You're so thick, Lupin. You and Victoire. You're always staring at each other like you're the only two people on the planet. It's disgusting, I can't stand it!" she finished and then let out an exasperated breath.

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's annoying."

"No, because you like me." He smirked, "Admit it, Roxy. You like me. You like me enough that you'd misinterpret friendship as adoration, that you'd set up this whole _leave me alone _defense just to pull me away from Victoire for a few minutes, you like me enough that you're jealous." His smile grew.

"What do you mean misinterpret friendship for adoration?" she asked ignoring his accusation of jealousy.

"Oh, nothing, just that Victoire and I broke up not too long ago for various reasons and still managed to retain our friendship."

"You're _not _dating anymore?"

"No."

"That's impossible." Roxanne pressed, "I saw the way you were staring at her. I'm never wrong!"

"That's the Roxy I know and love."

"And I'm also not jealous!" she added, finally picking up his words before, "just disgusted!"

"Sure you are, Roxy." Huffing, she ran up the porch stairs and opened the door to the house taking a step inside.

"Hey, Roxy. I win!"

The blood drained from her face and her mouth fell open, in the next few seconds she raised her wand and delivered a bat-bogey hex, which she'd learned from her aunt.

Clearly, Roxanne Weasley was a sore loser.

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**A/N: I have the distinct ability that is the inability to use a quote correctly :)**

**A/N: Please Review :)**


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